Steep Ravine Trail and a BLT

When you’ve had enough dry summer air, head over to the deep wooded trails of Mount Tamalpais for some welcome relief on a foggy day. The fog might as well be heavy rain, as it condenses in all the trees and makes the trails wonderfully wet and cozy on a summer morning. Finish off an easy 2 hour morning hike with lunch in Mill Valley or Larkspur. On this particular day: we found a farm-fresh cafe in Larkspur with a champion BLT and some great breakfast options.

The Road There: Mount Tamalpais State Park in Marin County stretches from the ridge just east of Mill Valley to the coast at Muir Beach and Stinson Beach. It encompasses Muir Woods, which is a destination known to many visitors, but it’s much more than just that. You could spend weeks or months exploring the trails here and never see the same spot twice. But today is just about one trail, with a classic combination of wide-open ocean views, steep mountainside creeks, and shady California Redwoods, Oaks, and Ferns. The start of today’s adventure is the Pantoll Campground on Panoramic Highway. I like the scenic route, so I suggest taking Camino Alto out of Larkspur two get here, or save that for the trip back (see below). Just put Pantoll Campground into your nav system and enjoy the drive.

Old Mine Trail to Dipsea Trail to Steep Ravine Trail: You can do this as a nice 3.8 mile hike for under 2 hours or a 5.5 mile hike for about 3 hours or more. The longer version takes you all the way down to Highway 1 and Stinson Beach. Today’s hike is simpler: leaving the Pantoll Campground parking lot (pay $8 for parking), take the Old Mine Trail 0.6 Miles downhill into the woods. Turn right and downhill on the Dipsea Trail, just after the Veteran’s Bench overlooking the Pacific Coastline. Continue 1.6 miles downhill, through a great wooded creekside hill featuring lots of old wooden steps built into the trail, until you meet up with the Steep Ravine Trail. You can take it to the left, downhill, another 0.5 miles to Highway 1 and Stinson Beach, or you can turn right, uphill, for 1.6 miles to get back to the Pantoll Campground parking lot (3.8 miles round trip). Steep Ravine has a few famous spots that you will see in photos any time you search online for Mount Tamalpais State Park (the rustic wooden ladder is a well known landmark and a fun part of your hike). The trail follows a terrific creek that flows even in late Summer, but has more water and waterfalls the earlier you go in the season. It’s a wonderful walk, and will get your heart pumping up the hill!

FOOOOOD!! Taking the scenic route back into Larkspur via will use Panoramic Highway to Edgewood Rd to Camino Alto and eventually to Magnolia Ave and the cozy historic little downtown of Larkspur. There are some fun food options here as well as a few miles away at Larkspur Landing. But enjoying the downtown was my goal for this trip, so we went too get some farm-to-table fresh grub at Farm House Local (next time, I’ll be back for Perry’s for sure). At Farm House Local, try the hues rancheros (delish) or the artsy take on the BLT with applewood smoked bacon, avocado, heirloom tomatoes and a special aioli. The Spring Organic Asparagus Soup was also excellent, and I think I’ll need to try the Warm Peach and Fig salad next time.